Refrigerator



Apr. 17, 1923.

E. M, MEYER RBFRIGERATOR Filed Dec. 8v. 1922 0 nO 3 mM/ w lf Patented Apr. I7, 1923.

UNITE@ STATE@ instan carena? ortica.,

EMANUEL M. MEYER, F CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO LANGDON-MEYER LABORA- TOR/IES, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, A PARTNERSHIP COMPOSED OF FLETCHER LANG- DON AND EMANUEL M. MEYER.

REFRIGERATOR.

Application led December 8, 1922. Serial No. 605,714.

To all whoml t may concern:

Be it known that I, EuANUnL M. MEYER, a citizen lof the United States, and a resident of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Refrigerators, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to devices for use With ice as a refrigerant, more particularly in connection with biological and serological work.

It has as its essential object the provision of a refrigerating device which will maintain 'a uniform temperature above freezing point and not more than 3 degreescentigrade, by the use of cracked ice only and without the use of salt and without any moving part.

So far as I am advised, no one in the past has provided a refrigerator which is at all suitable for the preservation in an uncontaminated state of serums and other liquid and solid organic bodies without danger of 'freezing and without danger of heating up sufficiently to permit of growth of bacteria or other elements of putrefaction, fermentation or decay. In practice, a temperature of around 3 degrees centigrade is indicated as proper for the preservation of such organic solids and liquids, which temperature should not vary substantially in either direction on the thermometer scale. Such temperature also is the scientifically correct one for the vperformance of the ice box complement fixation test for which the apparatus is particularly adapted.

-Among other specific objects of my invention are: the provision of a chilling compartment entirely surrounded by ice and water except at the door opening; of a compartment 'so devised that water of condensation isl not likely to fall into materials being preserved; of a thermo-Siphon system set up in theflow of ice water, whereby the compertinent is kept at a low temperature throughout; of a specially arranged thermometer set so as not to be struck by objects set into the chilling chamber and arranged i'n proper spaced relation to give a true mean temperature.'

These objects and others to be noted I accomplishby that certain construction and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more specifically pointed out and claimed.

In t-he drawings,

Figure l is a front elevation of the device.

Figure 2 is a central vertical section thereof.

F igure, 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3-3 of Figure l.

Figure 4 is a detail section showing the thermometerand its mounting.

Figure 5 is a diagram of another form o chilling compartment.

I do not insist upon the dimensions of the device except as will be noted, nor upon the nature of the outer box, which may be of any acceptable ice refrigerator type.

Thus I have shown a wooden box l having a top ice filling door 2 and a chilling compartment door 3. The two doors are finished on the inside with insulation 4 and faced with sheet metal 5. The box is also insulated with insulation 6 and has an inner lining of sheet metal 7.

It is important that the lining of the box should be continued across the exposed wooden faces of the box, about the openings (not shown), as otherwise the water will get into the wood and the insulation, and the coldness of the box will prevent drying out, so that decay will result unless care is taken to face all exposed parts with the sheet metal.

The chilling compartment is indicated as formed of sheet metal having a base `8, a back wall 9 and side walls l0 and 1l. The base of the compartment is supported at the front on the ledge or sill at the lower end of the opening for the door 3. At the back of the box it is supported on two metal plates l2 set across the corners of the lining of the outer box.

The spacing of the compartment walls from the lining of the box is arranged at the sides, back and base, so as to leave a space of several inches, which space is wide enough for cracked ice to work down between the box lining and the compartment walls, but not wide enough for eddy currents to destroy the thermo-Siphon effect caused by the structure of the device as will be noted. Thus I find that a two-inch spacing at the sides, back and base will be proper for the compartment in a box of which the lining is about 22 inches high and 2O inches square.

The side l1 of the compartment is extended considerably higher than the side i and the top 13 of the compartment is thus arranged at considerable of a slant. The space for ice above the compartment is ordinarily arranged in my devices to be about as large as the compartment itself plus the side spacing.

In charging the device with ice it is cracked up fairly fine and packed into the top of the box and tamped down so that the ice will be forced down around the compartment in the spaces left for that purpose. No salt can be used and the natural melting of the ice must be relied upon, since otherwise a temperature `below freezing might well result which would probably destroy the organic products to be preserved.

I provide a drain tap I4 set into the lower end of the box at the side of the high wall l1. I also insert the thermometer through this side. As a result, the outside heat conducted in through the tap and the thermometer casing acts to add warmth to the space between the compartment and the box lining at the high side of the compartment.

The special construction so arranged acts to set up a thermo-siphon in the ice water, causing it to rise at the high side of the compartment and flow down at the low side, so that a flow of chilled water near the freezing point is maintained around the box at all times.

An alternative form of compartment as shown in Fig. 5 will accomplish a like result, although not so well. In this form' a peaked top l5 is provided for the compartment and a vane or baffle 16 is erected to set up a high side. The baffle thus provides an elongated chamber in which water will rise as warmed by conduction and this sets up the thermo-siphon current above noted. The reason for the thermo-Siphon action is that if the short side chamber and the long side chamber left between the two boxes were of equal temperature the rising mass of relatively warm liquid in the long side would overbalance the tendency to rise in the short side.

The result of the slanting or peaked roof, particularly the former enables me to provide for a thoroughly safe and correctly placed thermometer, so that the location of the mercury bulb will be at just the right point for taking mean temperature and so that articles which will nt through the door opening will not strike the thermometer.

In Figure 4 is shown in detail the method of mounting the thermometer. Thus there is vprovided a metal tube 2G, which is permanently fixed in the compartment and in the box lining by means of soldered rings 21. The tube extends into the compartment below the high corner at the high side of the compartment. It has a threaded outer end to receive a plug 22.

The plug 22 has a shoulder 23 to abut against the outer end of the tube and-an extension 24 of reduced diameter into which the thermometer lits snugly. l

The thermometer is formed of a tube 25 bent to form an upright portion 26 and having a regulation mercury bulb 27. There is a calibrated scale plate 28 having flanges 29, one of which is set over the plug and soldered or brazed in place. The upright portion of the tube is exposed in the sight slot 30 in the plate, alongside of which slot are the calibrations 3l.

As so constructed the thermometer is readily readable and can be inserted in place or withdrawn without dismounting anything but the plug. The bulb will be located at a. position spaced away from the slanting top of the compartment, so as to be free from direct cold at this top wall, and it is also located near the high point of the compartment where the warmest air therein will rise. Thus the temperature indication will give a mean temperature relieved from false factors as far as possible. In standard thermometers in laboratory use the capillary tubes where exposed to the air beyond the bulb have practically no effect upon the position of the mercury column.

It may now be appreciated that I have provided for a refrigerator which operates with ice only and runs no danger whatever of freezing the contents thereof. There is no refrigerant to escape or to control, no thermostats to get out of order, and nothing but clean water and ice to deal with in any event.

I have found in practice that with a filling and tamping once a day, a temperature of almost exactly 3 degrees centigrade is constantly maintained.

' The effect of the sloping top to the compartment is that condensation water does not drip, but flows down the top and thence down the low side wall of the compartment. A slight depression acting toform a trough, as at 32, collects this moistureand by forming the depression on a sloping depth and depressing a small pocket, as at 31a, near the front corner of the compartment, the condensation water can be mopped up with a sponge without any trouble.

The interior of the compartment in my device is thus kept very dry, which is desirable for devices for my particular purpose.

The placing of the thermometer above the plane of the door opening in the high corner of the box away from the top wall gives highly desirable results, as has been indicated. The advantages of the slant roof over the peaked roof are that a better thermo-siphon is set up -in the preferred form and also the problem of inserting the thermometer is made simpler, since a straight sheet of metal is all that requires sealing.

Having thus ldescribed my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. A refrigerator adapted to operate on ice as the sole refrigerant, comprising a box and a compartment within said box and spaced away therefrom, and means in connection with said compartment and box to set up a thermo-Siphon action of melted ice.

2. A refrigerator adapted to operate on ice as the sole refrigerant, comprising a box and a compartment within said box and spaced away therefrom, and means in connection with said compartment and box to set up a thermo-Siphon action of melted ice, and a drain tap for the box set at a position so that' its conducted heat adds to the thermo-Siphon effect.

8. In a refrigerating device, the combination of a box, a compartment within the box and spaced away therefrom, said compartment being located at the lower end of the box and having a sloping roof or top to prevent dripping of water of condensation, said roof extending from a low point at one side of the compartment to a high pointl at the other side thereof, whereby in addition a thermo-Siphon effect is set up of melted ice.

4. A refrigerating device comprising a box, a compartment in the lower end thereof and spaced away therefrom, exceptatI the front, said compartment having a top arranged at a slant from side to side, and a thermometer device comprising a mounting tube, and a thermometer arranged therein, so set that the bulb is within the compartment at a point spaced from the top near the high corner thereof.

5. A refrigerating device comprising a box, a compartment in the lower end thereof and spaced away therefrom, except at the front, said compartment having a top arranged at a slant from side to side, and a thermometer device comprising a mounting tube, and a thermometer arranged therein, so set that the bulb is within the compartment at a point spaced from the top near the high corner thereof, the compartment at the front having an opening to which access is to be gained by a door, said opening arranged so that its highest point is below the high corner wherein the thermometer is located.

6. In combination with a refrigerator having an ice space and a compartment enclosed therein, means for mounting a thermometer therein, comprising a tube set into the box and extending to the outside thereof and into the compartment, a plug for the tube adapted to be mounted removably thereon and adapted to receive the capillary tube of a thermometer, and a sight scale device mounted on the plug along which the capillary tube is to be extended.

7. In combination with a refrigerator having an ice space and a compartment enclosed therein, means for mounting a thermometer therein, comprising a tube set into the box and extending to the outside thereof and into the compartment, a plug for the tube adapted to be mounted removably thereon and adapted to receive the capillary tube of a thermometer, and a sight scale device mounted on the plug along which the capillary tube is to be extended, said scale formed of a plate having an observation slot therein, and side anges to protect the capillary tube, one of said side fianges being apertured and set over and attached to the plug, as and for the purpose described.

EMANUEL M. MEYER. 

